Last 18 Balls

COMMENTARY

New Zealand won by 24 runs | India Vs New Zealand 1st ODI match

So New Zealand go 1-0 up in this series with a vibrant all-round display. Can India iron out the creases and bounce back? To unravel all the answers join us for the second ODI on 22 January. If you have a voracious appetite for cricket, then switch tabs and follow Australia vs England and Pakistan vs Sri Lankan. Take care, adios!

Jatin Sapru: Virat's literally making hundreds 'at will'.. A befitting shot to bring up no.18.. And sense it could well be no.12 in a successful chase

Aakash Chopra: Virat Kohli, are you human? :) What. A. Player.

Harsha Bhogle: we saw in the champions trophy too. mcclenaghan just takes wickets. there is a lot of seam bowling depth now in new zealand.

Ayaz Memon: Cricket almost always offers opportunity to the optimist. Well played New Zealand for believing in themselves...

Some views from the Twitter world:

Corey Anderson: 'Yeah, it was nice to come out and do that. Ross and Kane set up the platform and made my job easier. It was tough at the death. I guess we need to look at something in the next game and come out with different tactics. I felt good.'

Corey Anderson is the Man of the Match for his swashbuckling 68 followed by 2-51 with the ball.

Brendon McCullum: 'I thought we had a par score to be honest. We were very comfortable at half time. We knew we had to bowl well. Virat was brilliant. Mitch came back and did the job for us. The guys played their part in the jigsaw and contributed some partnerships. Corey Anderson played another outstanding innings in tough circumstances. Yeah, it's a captains nightmare when there are two set players out there. Mitch is there in the team to attack and pick wickets. I thought he was outstanding. Mile was good, it was a shame that he picked up an injury. The ground fielding was very good. All in all, it was a good fielding performance. We pride on that.'

MS Dhoni: 'Well, overall it was a good decision (when asked about the move to bowl first). It had to be backed up by good bowling. After the first few overs the fast bowlers bowled well. The spinners also did well. The bowlers did their job, restricting them. I think we were in the game till the end. The three wickets were tough on the team. One of us should have carried on. We could have targeted the spin bowlers. We had good time to prepare ourselves. A few batsmen played well. Not like the sub continent, the new ball is difficult to tackle. Once you are in, it becomes easier. When two good teams are playing, only one comes out as the winner.'

A special word for Mitch McClenaghan, after Adam Milne was forced to leave the field, Brendon McCullum threw the ball to him with Dhoni and Kohli at the crease. The game was well in India's grasp and he completey turned the match on it's head by taking three wickets in that little spell - the wickets of Dhoni, Jadeja and Kohli proving to be the death-knell for the Indian side in the chase. McClenaghan delivered what his skipper had asked off with a spirited burst, with plenty of aggression and the odd word thrown in as well. Should be a firm favorite for the Man of the Match award.

Do stay tuned for the presentation ceremony which will happen very shortly

Adding to the previous stat, Kohli's 11 hundreds before today while chasing have all come in a winning cause. Pity, from an Indian viewpoint, that the streak was broken today. But someday it had to end, isn't it?

What a stat: This is the first time that India have lost an ODI when Virat Kohli has scored a ton while chasing.

India's run-chase didn't get off to an ideal start as they lost Rohit Sharma, soon Dhawan joined him. But there was always Virat Kohli to produce his usual ODI hundred - one of his best, dazzling with an array of strokes. He looked in total control of the chase, as he has done so many times in the past, but it was the home side who emerged with smiles on their faces in the end.

So a cracking first ODI has seen the home side come out on top. India looked to have the game in their grasp when Kohli and Dhoni were at the crease, but one over from McClenaghan changed things, after Dhoni fell, the left-armer got Jadeja and the game turned there. In McClenaghan's next over, Kohli fell and the Kiwis suddenly were the favorites, they held their nerve and won the game by 24 runs eventually.

10 wickets down for IND. Out batsman is Ishant Sharma. It is all over for IND.
48.4Tim Southee to Ishant Sharma.out Bowled!! Game over. Southee seals it with a fine yorker, which rattles the stumps. Right under the blade of Ishant and it disturbs the timber. Southee raises his arms in triumph. New Zealand go 1-0 up. Ishant b Southee 5(10)

48.3Tim Southee to Ishant Sharma. no run, dug in short, Ishant is way too early into the pull, bottom-edges it to Ronchi, almost brushed the stumps on the way